Windmill-regulator



(No Model.)

R. T. SKINNER. WINDMILL REGULATOR,

Patented Feb. 26, 1895.

IN VE N 70/? A TTOHNEYS.

LITHQ. \NASHINGYON. D Cv WITNESSES.

RICHARD 'r. SKINNER, 0F ELDORA, IOWA.

- WINDMILL-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 534,924, dated February 26, 1 895.

Application filed March 17,1894. S i l N 503,972. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, RICHARD T. SKINNER, of Eldora,in the county of Hardin and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved W'indmill-Regulator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of windmill regulators which are adapted to throw a windmill into and out of gear, and which are operated by the rise and fall of a float.

The object of my invention is to produce a very simple and positively working apparatus, which is governed by the movement of a float and which, when the float is lowered to a certain distance, sets the windmill and pump to working, and which when the float is raised throws the mill out of gear, the movements in both cases being gradual and easy so that no undue strain is placed on an parts of the mechanism.

To these ends my invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation on the line 11 of Fig. 3, showing my improved regulator in position to permit the working of the pump. Fig. 2 is a similar section, but with the mechanism in position to throw the mill out of the wind; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus.

The regulator is provided with a suitable supporting frame 10 which may be easily applied to the tower of an ordinary windmill, and this carries a supplemental frame 11 on which the working parts of the regulator are carried. In the frame 11 isjournaled a segmental ratchet wheel 12, this being mounted on a shaft 13 extending across the frame 11, and the ratchet wheel is provided with a radially extending arm 14; which has attached to its free end the wire 15, which is adapted to pull the windmill out of the wind, the wire having a spring 16 therein to prevent any shock or too suddenmovement, and the wire is connected to the mill in any usual way, this connection not being shown, as it has nothing to do with my invention. it

The ratchet wheel 12 is engaged by pawls 17 and 18, which are fulcrumed on a lever 19, this being fulcrumed, as shown at 20, in the lower end of the frame 11 and the pawls are arranged on opposite sides of its fulcrum, so that when the lever is raised at its free end, the pawl 17 engages and turns the ratchet wheel, and when it is depressed the pawl 18 engages and turns the ratchet wheel. The outer end of the lever 19 is connected to the pump rod 21 which moves up and down in the usual Way, and hence when the rod is in motionand the pawls in engagement with the ratchet wheel 12, the movement of the rod will cause the ratchet wheel to be turned so as to turn down the arm 14- and pull on the wire 15 in a way to carry the windmill out of the wind. The lever 19 is slotted, as shown at 22, to receive the pin 23 which couples it to the pump rod, and thus the necessary freedom of movementis provided for.

The pawl 17 is widened at its upper end, as shown at 24, in Fig. 3,so thatit may be struck by the cam lever 25 which has an extension end 25 and is hung loosely on the shaft 13. In the cam lever is a slot 25 through which extends a pin 25 which is fastened to the frame 11 and by which the movement of the cam lever is limited. The cam lever 25 has on its upper side an arm 26 to which is attached a cable 27 which leads over a guide pulley 28 journaled on the frame 10 and connects with a float 29 arranged in a tank 30, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. It will thus be seen that the dropping of the float will cause the cam lever to be raised so as to strike and lift the pawl 17, thus throwing it out of engagement with the ratchet wheel, and the lifting of this pawl also releases the pawl 18 as the two are connected by a tie bar 31, which is pivoted, as shown at 32 to the pawl 17, and is, at its opposite end, slotted as at 34, to receive a pin 33 by which it connects with the pawl 18, this slot permitting a certain amount of longitudinal movement of the tie bar to compensate for the different distances of the pawls from the fulcrum of the lever 19.

The tie bar 31 is slotted or notched on its under side, as shown at 35, to receive a pin 36 on the tilting latch 37, which is fulcrumed near the center, as shown at 38, on one side of the frame 11 and is weighted at one end, as shown at 39, to enable the pin to swing automatically into engagement with the notch 35. A second notch 35 on the tie bar prevents the pin from accidentally slipping back into the notch 35 after it has been released therefrom, in the manner described below.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: When the water gets low in the tank, the float drops and this raises the cam lever 25, which strikes the pawl 17 and lifts it out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 12, and the pawl 17 pulls on the tie bar 31 so as to pull the second pawl 18 from the ratchet wheel. As the lever moves upward and the pawls 17 and 18 swing 'away from the ratchet wheel, the inner end of the latch 37 rises and the pin 36 enters the notch and thus prevents the pawls from dropping back into engagement with the ratchet wheel, and as the latter is released, the windmill is permitted to draw graduallyinto the wind, while the moving of the pump rod 21 causes the pawls to move up and down without engaging the ratchet wheel 12. As the water rises in the tank, the float rises also, and this permits the lever 25 to gradually drop back, but the latch holds the pawls raised until the lever, striking on the latch 37, pushes it down so as to move the pin 36 from the slot 35 of the tie bar,and then the pawls move forward, the pin passing into the notch 35 so that it cannot slip back into the notch 35. The movement of the pump rod and lever 19 will now cause the pawls 17 and 18 to act alternately on the ratchet Wheel, so as to turn the same and depress the arm 14, thus pulling on the wire 15 and again throwing the mill out of the wind. Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A wind mill regulator, comprising a ratchet wheel adapted to be connected with the controlling wire of the mill, an oscillating lever adapted to be connected with the pump rod of the mill, a pair of pawls pivoted to the lever on opposite sides of its fulcrum, said pawls being connected together and adapted to engage the ratchet wheel, and a lever actuated by the rise and fall of a float, and adapted to engage one of the pawls to disengage them from the ratchet wheel, substantially as described.

2. A windmill regulator, comprising a ratchet wheel having a projecting arm to connect with the controlling arm of the windmill, an oscillating lever adapted to connect with the pump rod of the mill, a pair of pawls to engage the ratchet wheel, these being secured to the lever on opposite sides of its fulcrum, a tie bar connecting the pawls, a latch to hold the pawls released, and a lever actuated by the rise and fall of the float and arranged to release the latch, substantially as described.

3. A windmill regulator, comprising a ratchet Wheel having a projecting arm to engage the controlling wire of the mill, an oscillating lever adapted to connect with the pump rod of the mill, a pair of pawls arranged on opposite sides of the fulcrum of the lever and adapted to engage the ratchet wheel, a notched tie bar connecting the pawls, a tilting latch adapted to engage the notch of the tie bar and hold the pawls released, and a swinging floatcontrolled lever adapted to strike and release the latch, substantially as described.

RICHARD T. SKINNER.

Witnesses:

AMBROSE MILLER, CHARLES C. GETI-IMAN. 

